Many electronic and mechanical devices are comprised of different electronic circuit boards or other assemblies. Typically, electronic devices have one main, or primary, board or assembly, and may have zero or more secondary boards or sub-assemblies coupled thereto.
For example, tape storage devices may have a main controller board and one or more other assemblies, such as mechanisms, tape heads, display assemblies, etc. Desktop computers, for example, may have a primary board (or motherboard) and numerous other secondary boards, such as graphics cards, sound cards, network cards, etc.
In many circumstances manufacturers prefer that their electronic devices comprise only assemblies manufactured, tested, or authorized for use by the manufacturer. In many cases, correct or optimum operation of a device may only be assured if different assemblies within a device have been configured, tuned, matched, etc., to work together.
For example, in enterprise tape storage devices tape heads and mechanisms typically require significant calibration during manufacture, with the calibration data being stored in a memory on a subassembly. The calibration data is used by a tape storage device main assembly to ensure optimum or near optimum operation of the tape storage device. If a tape mechanism is replaced or repaired by the manufactured or authorized service agent, the replacement or repair process will typically include a re-calibration of the tape mechanism and the storing in the tape mechanism sub-assembly memory of appropriate calibration data. If, however, a tape head or mechanism is replaced or repaired by an unauthorized service agent they typically will not be willing or able to update the calibration data stored in the sub-assembly memory, and the operation of the tape storage device may well be sub-optimum. This may, for example, put at risk the integrity of data written or read by the device